Improving Maternal and Child Health in India: Evaluating Demand and Supply Side Strategies
Improving Maternal and Child Health in India: Evaluating Demand and Supply Side Strategies
The study evaluates the impact of a new conditional cash transfer (CCT) program (Thayi Bhagya Yojana) to promote child birth in obstetric facilities in the state of Karnataka, India in order to determine its policy value and to guide efforts to improve maternal and infant health outcomes nationally. In addition, the study includes a large randomized evaluation of performance-based incentive payments to providers to improve quality of medical care provided during delivery and actual health improvement in the providers' patient populations and their catchment areas.
The evaluation study will first provide new evidence on the effectiveness of demand-side strategies to increase institutional deliveries and improve childbirth outcomes. Second, the study will analyze one of the first implementations of direct rewards to providers for health improvement in a developing country. Third, the study will provide critical new insight into dynamics between demand and supply-side incentives in improving population health outcomes as either complements or substitutes.
The study uses household survey to collect data from mothers on socio-economic, human capital, quality of life variables (including below poverty line [BPL] index components) and as well as information about deliveries, fertility histories, morbidity and mortality (for mothers, infants, and children), birth related complications, health service use and spending. Additionally, provider surveys will collect data on infrastructure, staffing, provider qualifications, provider knowledge and process measures of provider performance.
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